When applying for higher education in Ireland one must note that getting in could be very competitive. Students are evaluated using their past performance in secondary education with the scores on their six best subjects used and also according to the scores they garner after taking the Irish Leaving Certificate Examination.

The difficulty of getting in each year varies depending on the number of slots available for the program or course one is interested in taking as well as the number of applicants competing for the slots that year.

For EU residents applying for fulltime undergraduate courses in Ireland is easy and is usually processed through the Central Application Office. The Central Application Office can be contacted at:

Central Applications Office
Tower House
Eglington Street
Galway
Tel:+353 91 563269/509800
Fax: +353 91 562344
Website: http://www.cao.ie
Email:help@cao.ie

For overseas students there a couple of options available when applying for higher education in Ireland. The first option is to take upper secondary education in Ireland and then take the Leaving Certificate Examination alongside Irish students. The second option, which is the more common course of action overseas students take, is to simply take the recognised public examination in their own countries. The thing to remember when taking the second course of action is to make sure that their grades when translated into Irish equivalent values is high enough to pass the entry requirements for whatever course or programme the student plans on taking.

In addition to this, as an overseas student you should pass you cannot process your application via the Central Applications Office. But should contact the Admissions Office of the Higher Education Institute (HEI) you plan on attending directly.

If you are currently an EU resident but have resided outside the EU in the past you might also need to contact the Admission Office of the HEI and might not be eligible for processing via the Central Applications Office. This is especially true if you plan on attending any of the following HEIs: American College, Dublin, Athlone Institute of Technology, Dublin Business School, Dublin City University, Dublin Institute of Technology, Institute of Technology Carlow, Institute of Technology Sligo, Letterkenny Institute of Technology, National College of Ireland, National University of Ireland Maynooth, Portobello College, Royal College of Surgeons, Shannon College of Hotel Management, Tipperary Institute, Trinity College Dublin, University College Cork, University College Dublin, and University of Limerick.

Overseas students are of course required to have a student visa to be able to live and study in Ireland. You can apply for a student visa via the Irish Diplomatic in your home country. For those who do not have an Irish Diplomatic Mission in their home country, you can forward your visa application directly to Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Ireland’s DFA can be contacted at:

Department of Foreign Affairs
The Visa Office
13-14 Burgh Quay
Dublin 2
Ireland
Tel: +353 1 4780822 (open from 14.30 to 16.00 Monday to Friday)
Fax: +353 1 4751201.
E-mail: visa@iveagh.gov.ie

The requirements for a student visa application include the following:

1. Valid Passport
2. Evidence of Course – includes letter of acceptance, proof of enrolment in a full-time course, and papers that detail the amount of fees payable for the course
3. Proof of your Ability to Follow Chosen Course – includes exam results and other qualifications like certificates and grades
4. Proof of Acceptable Level of English – includes test results in any of the three language certification tests: IELTS, TOEFL, and Cambridge
5. Proof of Payment of Fees – Course fees less than €6,000 need to be paid in full before applying for a visa. If course fees are higher than €6,000 then you need to pay at least €6,000 before applying for a visa.
6. Private Medical Insurance – This can be taken out by the student in his own country or can be arranged for him by the higher education institute he enrolled in.
7. Information on Family Members – This includes family members residing in Ireland or in any EU country. Family members include the extended family. A student visa does not grant your family members the ability to come with you to Ireland.
8. Proof of Self Sufficiency – This includes proof that you or your sponsor has ready access to funds of at least €7,000 which can be used to support your stay in Ireland and tide you over in case of any emergency without having to depend on the government of Ireland for financial support. The €7,000 is exclusive of the funds you intend to use for your course fees. Proof includes bank statements as well as any scholarship letters and documents if you were able to obtain a scholarship to help fund your studies.
9. A statement of Purpose
10. Curriculum Vitae
11. Employment Details
12. 3 Recent Passport Photographs

One of the major problems students all over the world meet is finding enough funds for their education. Unless you have a trust fund you can use then you are most probably familiar with the issue.

As always one of the ways in which you can fund your college education is through scholarships. If you hope to get a scholarship for your education in Ireland the best and most common way to do this is by applying your own government’s Ministry of Education or equivalent body for financial aid. If this is not possible another usual venue for getting financial aid to help fund your studies is by applying to International Scholarship Programmes. You can ask your government to help you in forwarding your application or you can apply directly to some organizations such as Rotary Clubs and the like. You can also make use of online databases, which often give free membership to students to help you find grants, scholarships, and loan programs that can assist you in your search for funding.

The government of Ireland recognizes the needs of its overseas students and seek to help those worthy of financial aid. Because of this the Department of Education and Science doles out scholarships to several overseas students who meet their eligibility criteria each year. Note though that the slots are limited and the competition can be fierce so unless you are especially confident of your abilities then it is recommended that you apply for other scholarships as well. You can send in your scholarship applications to:

International Section
Department of Education and Science
Marlborough Street
Dublin 1
Tel:+353-1-8896400
Fax:+353-1-8741933
Website: www.education.ie
Email: info@education.gov.ie

You can also contact the scholarship section of the Higher Education Institute you plan on attending or are already enrolled at. Most HEIs offer a limited number of scholarships to overseas students. But just like when applying for scholarship to the Department of Education and Science you should remember that the competition can be stiff. Each HEI have their own eligibility criteria so that you should contact your HEI of choice to find out if you can apply for scholarship. Scholarships are usually based on a combination of ability and need.